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Shoppers buy "Lucky Bags" at Mitsukoshi department store, in Tokyo Japan on January 2, 2009.
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Forget the recession, at least for now in Japan, where it's time for some mystery New Year's shopping designed to cast off the economic gloom.
Thousands of shoppers queued for hours in front of department stores across Japan on Friday to buy limited-edition, traditional New Year's "goodie" bags in what has become one of the biggest events of the holiday season.
The so-called Lucky Bags are priced between 10,000 yen ($110) and 30,000 yen, and are completely sealed, with nothing to indicate the contents.
But experienced shoppers know that they are often filled with fashionable accessories and clothes at a substantial discount, which makes them especially desirable during the current financial crisis.
In Tokyo's glitzy Ginza shopping district, excited shoppers dashed inside the Mitsukoshi department store to grab over 20,000 lucky bags.
"There's this excitement before you open your bag, then comes the surprise and some degree of disappointment, but most of the time I'm happy with what I get," said Hisayo Kuwabara, a 52-year-old part-time worker.
Some shoppers sought to banish the economic gloom with these festive bags.
"Though the economy is worsening, I wanted to buy some lucky bags because it is sold at a discounted price. I also wanted to get some luck in this recession," said Eiichi Kakegawa, a 47-year-old businessman.
Takashi Masuko, director of "Lucky Bags" operations at Mitsukoshi, said the yearly shopping extravaganza is especially popular this year.
"People tend to buy more Lucky Bags during a recession," he said.
"We've been preparing for this day since last August, and since we were expecting some recession ahead, we changed the volume and items of our bags to better satisfy our customers at times like this."
The economy appears set for a gloomy 2009 in Japan, as firms cut their outlooks and industrial output slumps.
Most economists say a recovery in Japan will have to wait until global demand picks up. Some say that will not happen until the final quarter of next year, at the earliest.
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(Agencies)
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先别去想什么经济危机了，至少现在在日本可以这样。为了驱散经济危机的阴霾，日本商家在新年之际推出了一种神秘的购物方式。
周五，日本各大百货商场门前排满了人，数千名购物者排队等候数小时，抢购“限量版“的新年“幸运包”。这项传统的抢购新年“幸运包”活动成为今年日本规模最大的假日活动之一。
新年“幸运包（Lucky Bag）”每个售价在1万（110美元）至3万日元之间，并且完全密封，从外部包装上根本看不出里面装的是什么。
但有经验的人都知道这些“幸运包”里通常装的是折扣很多的时尚服饰和单品，这在眼下的经济危机时期尤其“诱人”。
当天，在东京繁华的银座购物中心，兴奋的购物大军冲进新光百货商场抢购2万多只幸运包。
52岁的兼职工人Hisayo Kuwabara说：“在打开幸运包之前，你会有这样一种兴奋感，打开包之后，你又会感到惊喜，或者有点失望，但多数时候我都很开心。”
一些购物者则希望用这些节日幸运包来驱散经济危机的阴霾。
47岁的生意人Eiichi Kakegawa说：“虽然眼下经济不景气，但我还是想买一些幸运包，因为折扣很多。我还希望自己能交些好运。”
新光商场“幸运包”课负责人Takashi Masuko说，今年的活动尤为受欢迎。
他说：“在经济衰退期，人们往往会购买更多的幸运包。”
“我们从去年8月份就开始准备了，因为当时预想到可能会出现经济衰退，所以我们在幸运包的量和品种上都做了些调整，以便在这样的时期更好地满足顾客的需要。”
眼下日本国内企业前景暗淡，工业总产量下跌，2009年的经济前景不容乐观。
多数经济学家称，日本经济的复苏须等到全球需求增长的恢复。一些专家预测，这最早得到明年的最后一季度。
（英语点津姗姗编辑）
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